With the plant-based global meat market estimated to reach R404 billion by 2030, retailers are increasingly looking to meet the needs of this ever-increasing, vocal and trendy niche consumer group. Downtown Cape Town is no exception. Here we look at how its contributing to the retail offering in the CBD.
The move to a plant-based lifestyle in South Africa started taking off in 2021. That’s the year earmarked by South Africa’s leading consumer research company Trade Intelligence, which undertook three consumer studies into what plant-based was all about in the South African context. The results showed that 20 % of the customers surveyed identified as flexitarian, 17 % as vegetarian, and 9 % as vegan. Their research also found that with the move towards a plant-based diet increasing in popularity over the past few years, 42 % of consumers surveyed had started following a more plant-based lifestyle at the start of 2021.
Despite being a country of committed meat eaters, plant-powered options that are plastic-free, healthier, and kinder to the planet are fast gaining ground. What’s more, according to the economic report on the Cape Town CBD, State of Cape Town Central City Report 2021 – A Year in Review (SCCR), which is published by the Cape Town Central City Improvement District (CCID), vegan travel is also on the increase, with tourists looking for hotels and restaurant options that offer plant-based fare.
Here CBD retailers report back on the trend and how they see the future playing out in this niche retail sector.
Nude Foods
Paul Rubin from District Six’s Nude Foods says that he has been operating in the CBD for five years and has had an extremely positive experience in the inner city. “The CCID make a huge difference and are really there to help the businesses in the area.” He describes the last two years within the retail space as having been ‘retail Armageddon’ because of the pandemic, but he is hopeful that 2023 will see this business thriving again.
Rubin estimates that 40% of his customers are foreign visitors and 60% are repeat locals, ranging from students to pensioners and everyone in between. “Many overseas visitors are used to shopping this way in their hometowns, so when they come to Cape Town, they seek us out as a way to shop plastic-free and plant-based,” Rubin says. “We offer a very unique way for people to shop consciously in Cape Town, and this is most certainly a growing tribe.
WTF Plant?
Located in Loop Street and open since July this year, WTF Plant? has gained quite the reputation after being a regular feature at Sea Point’s Mojo Market prior to opening in the CBD. Owners Charles Tapanlis and Gavin Hagger say that their establishment has become recognised and celebrated for truly being a flexitarian offering that is 100% plant- based and very much for foodies.
“We’ve received extraordinary reviews in European and overseas platforms which say we are an on the cutting edge of anything available globally,” comments Tapanlis, who adds that the majority of their international customers are German, British and American.
Infinite Cafe
Infinite Café, part of the larger Infinite Foods group, is located in Commercial Street and has been open for just over a year.
According to Soné Briel, Digital Marketing and Design Manger at Infinite Foods, the last two years came with its battles. “COVID obviously impacted small businesses worldwide but starting a business in the middle of it came with a challenge of its own. We are very happy to say that even though we are still building our customer base, we have already made some lovely returning customers,” she says.
Briel adds that being close to parliament has its advantages, including the benefits of the CCID patrol in the area which increases security for staff and customers alike. Given the Café’s proximity to the University of Cape Town, millennials and Gen-Z customers are an important customer base.
“We also have special offers for students and members of parliament to make plant-based food more accessible to local customers,” she says, adding that more and more tourists are also become loyal customers during their stay in Cape Town. Her hope for 2023 includes more accessible events, more feet in the door, more meat eaters trying plant-based food, and more delicious menu items!
Wild Eatery
Britney Varley from Wild Eatery, located in Harrington Street in District Six, says that there is a growing appreciation for the increasing number of plant-based options available in Cape Town. “People of all ages are moving to a more plant-based diet for different reasons. Health is a major one but with the younger generation, environmental and animal welfare seems to be very much part of their consciousness,” she says, adding that they have established a very loyal local customer base. “They’re also all really nice people and part of what makes running our business a pleasure.”
Much like the many of the other plant-based establishments in Cape Town’s inner city, international tourists are becoming a loyal customer too. “We are so happy to hear the all the different accents around us again. People are used to having a lot of vegan options back home, particularly in the USA and Germany, so are happy to find us, especially because we have many gluten-free options,” she says.
Honest Chocolate Café
Honest Chocolate Café, open since 2014 in Wale Street, has enjoyed a much more positive 2022 after a very rough previous two years. “Tourists are back, and locals are out and about in town,” says Aa’ishah Satchipia from Honest social media & Marketing. She says that plant-based is still such a comparatively unexplored frontier, and that those embracing this lifestyle love testing new things. While most of their customers are tourists, they also have a lot of local regulars. “We love being in the city centre area and love being part of the buzz.”
Satchipia’s hope for the coming year is to continue to grow as more tourists and locals come back to the city. “We’ll keep innovating in a way that keeps our customers happy,” she says.
